Communities at the Frontier

Rethinking Government Through Community-Led and Empowerment-Based Development
Erscheinungsjahr 2027
ISBN: 978-0-443-48636-4
Verlag: Elsevier Science

Buch, Englisch, 260 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 449 g

Communities at the Frontier: Rethinking Government through Community-led and Empowerment-based Development is a pioneering reference that challenges conventional state-centric paradigms by highlighting the rising role of grassroots actors in sustainable local and regional development. Through interdisciplinary analysis and comparative case studies from regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Europe, it examines governance transformations in contexts marked by inequality, climate vulnerability, and institutional fragility.

Organized into five thematic parts, the book covers foundational theories of community empowerment, governance challenges in fragile states, social inclusion and identity, environmental sustainability and climate resilience, and a forward-looking governance framework for the 21st century. Chapters provide rich empirical evidence, including case studies such as South African municipal innovation and the rise of citizen collectives in the Netherlands. Contributors also explore the roles of the twin transition, arts, culture, and environmental stewardship in fostering resilient and inclusive communities.

This reference is essential for scholars and postgraduate students in political economy, development studies, sustainability, and regional studies seeking integrative theoretical and empirical resources. It also supports policy practitioners in NGOs, municipalities, and international organizations by offering evidence-based strategies for community empowerment.

Autoren/Hrsg.

de Bruyn, Chané

Castanho, Rui Alexandre

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Regional- & Raumplanung Stadtplanung, Kommunale Planung

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I: Foundations of Community Empowerment
1. Community Empowerment as a Tool for Sustainable Development: A Review of Theory and Practice
2. Community Empowerment in Practice: Grassroots Strategies for Sustainable Development

Part II: Governance, Fragility, and Community Innovation
3. Governance and Local Economic Development in Developing Countries
4. Resilience in Action: Bottom Up Governance and Community Led Development in Europe
5. Self-Governance in Practice: Lessons from Communities Operating Beyond the State

Part III: Inclusion, Identity, and Social Cohesion
6. Equity and Inclusion: Women, Youth, and Indigenous Leadership in Community Development
7. Arts, Culture, and Identity as Drivers of Local Development

Part IV: Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience
8. Environmental Sustainability Through Community Led Development
9. Climate Change and Community Resilience

Part V: Rethinking Governance for the 21st Century
10. Towards a New Paradigm: Rethinking Governance Beyond the State Concluding Remarks

Über Autor(innen)

Castanho, Rui Alexandre
Rui Alexandre Castanho holds an International Ph.D. in Sustainable Planning in Borderlands and is currently the Vice-Coordinator of VALORIZA - Research Center (Portugal) and EU Climate Change Pact Ambassador for Portugal. He is also an EU Climate Pact Ambassador and completed postdoctoral research under the GREAT Project at the University of the Azores. His research affiliations include ECIDES at UNIR (Spain), VALORIZA at the Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (Portugal), CITUR-Madeira, and AQUAGEO at UNICAMP (Brazil). He holds degrees in Green Spaces Engineering and Agricultural Engineering, as well as a Master’s in Planning, Audit, and Control in Urban Green Spaces. Professor Castanho has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles, 100 indexed book chapters, more than 30 books, and more than 100 conference contributions. He has spoken at numerous international academic events and was awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa title by UPCI in Lima, Peru.

de Bruyn, Chané
Chané de Bruyn is a researcher in the Centre for Local Economic Development (CENLED) at the University of Johannesburg. She has a PhD in Economics, with a focus on Local Economic Development (LED). She is also certified by the Economic Development Council of South Africa as an Economic Developer in the field of Local Economic Development. In addition, she is a member of the policy maker hub Future Finance Law Hub. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in international and national journals ranging across quantitative, qualitive, and mixed-method approaches, as well as conference proceedings and book chapters. Her research focus is centered on topics relating to local economic development, development economics, sustainable development, and tourism development.